All the white Rhodesians did was apply the existing tribal ruling systems to the benefit of the white tribes over the rest. Now you have Mugabe's boys doing the same for THEIR own benefit. However Mugabe & Co don't have the ability to make it work. They're too thick, too bigoted, and too opposed to the non-Mugabe supporting tribes
I think you are largely correct. If you think about it for a moment the "white tribe" were all people with an education and a cultural background of rather highly organised societies and it would have been hard for them not to be utterly dominant.
It would be hard for them not to want to control the situation in Zimbabwe until a few more people had adapted to modern life and by that I don't just mean education but all other practices which are a function of how your parents and family lived. You are only going to have dictators and peasants if you don't manage to build a big middle class.
There had to be a crossing point and it happened although probably much too early because the place wasn't ready to deal with a guy like Mugabe - not enough people living in towns (where opposition started), not enough people with an interest in stability.
My British history isn't all that great but I doubt this country sprang into existence fully formed. In fact I seem to remember that at one point only land owners could vote and before that were Kings and I think what's left out is that maybe Kings happen because people are generally poor and unorganised rather than the other way around. i.e. you can't have a democracy in a land of subsistence farmers.
Hence I think the white Rhodesians (of which I am the younger offspring) were rather like the Romans in Britain. Zimbabwe's legal system is based on Roman Dutch law - quite interesting how this virus gets transmitted to one bunch of barbarians who wise up and transmit it onwards.
The left believed Mugabe was good and for them to pretend now that they didn't is very two faced. The cry that Rhodesians were bad too seems particularly pathetic to me. Rhodesians did what they could with the situation including stopping the Ndebele from terrorising Mr Mugabe's Shona and I am going to choose to believe that because of them and their fight to delay Mugabe, there is still hope for my home.
Finally, thanks for posting the Green Leader link.